A trainee nursing assistant is bidding to scale three of the highest peaks in Britain to raise money for the children’s hospice where she works.

Hannah Fish, 25, from Ilkeston, works on the care team at Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, which supporte youngsters with life-limiting conditions and their families.

She is passionate about the charity where she works, which needs to raise more than £6million a year to support families across the East Midlands when they need it most.

Hannah, who has always been a keen hiker, said: “When you work with families facing such difficult situations it gives you a purpose in taking something like this on.

“When you have a challenging job, it definitely helps to get out into nature,” she added.

She and her partner Joe Croxall, 35, have already scaled Snowdon in March and Scafell Pike in April. Hannah said that each peak took more than five hours to complete, with Snowdon posing the toughest challenge, with snow and ice on the ground.

Now the couple are set to complete their ‘three peaks’ marathon on September 24 when they take on the UK’s highest mountain, Scotland’s fearsome Ben Nevis, at 1,345 metres.

“The height’s not the biggest challenge,” saidHannah, “It’s the incline, the steepness. That’s why they say Ben Nevis is the hardest.”

The couple’s preparation includes regular hikes across the Peak District, close to where they live, of up to 12 miles two or three times a month. Hannah’s secret is a packet of Jelly Babies when the going gets tough and energy levels are low. “You can’t beat that sugar rush,” she said.

She hopes to raise more than £600 by September.

“Working here makes the challenge very personal, seeing the families who will benefit. It’s a big motivator,” she said.

To help the couple with their fundraising visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hannahs-3-peaks-challenge.

Rainbows hospice is based in Loughborough and was founded by Gail and Harry Moore whose daughter, Laura, died of leukaemia in 1989. Laura’s favourite thing was a rainbow.